


Rumors Fly Like Private Jets

by AlphaStarr



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe - Business, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Breaking Up & Making Up, F/F, Gen, Less evil Garon, M/M, Nohr Sibling Dynamics, Romantic Comedy, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-07
Updated: 2016-04-07
Packaged: 2018-05-31 20:51:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6487015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlphaStarr/pseuds/AlphaStarr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <span>"Hoshido?" Kamui turned her head to the side, knitting her brows together. "That name sounds... familiar.”</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>"No, wait, I kind of remember this," Corrin scoured his brain. "There was some... really big fight or something."</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>Nobody was willing to speak. Elise quietly sipped at her hot cocoa.</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>"Sweetie," Camilla said after a long silence, clearly troubled by digging up the past. "Ryoma Hoshido is Xander's ex-boyfriend."</span>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>
  <span>Or, the Modern AU where a messy break-up is the cause of bad blood between Hoshido and Nohr.</span>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There are two MUs in this verse; they are twins adopted by the Nohr family and of no relation to the Hoshido family other than childhood friendships. Male MU is named Corrin (commonly referred to as "Cor"), and Female MU is named Kamui (commonly referred to as "Kam"), and in this particular modern setting they run a fairly obscure Youtube channel titled "KamCorDerp."
> 
> Anankos is not a magical dracogod, and therefore Garon is the Garon depicted in the Nohr sibling supports. "Stern but fair," who "would never raise a hand against one of his children." Also, "he doted on us, and even gave me piggyback rides whenever I'd ask." Which is important.
> 
> Betaed by Shof. All remaining errors are mine and a result of failing to follow her directives.

"Emergency meeting," Camilla burst into the twins' room, still in her sleepwear, not even bothering to knock.

(Which, if anyone cared, thoroughly interrupted filming for the introduction of their split-screen parallel let's plays of  _ Flame Sigil: Inheritance _ and  _ Flame Sigil: Manifest _ .)

"Emergency meeting?" Kamui hit pause on the recording screen. "It's like... midnight, Camilla. And it's Friday."

Her brother Corrin cringed, "I thought for sure we could get a clean recording this time around."

"Sorry, darlings," their older sister sighed, looking greatly upset. Even at a glance, it was obvious something was wrong. "But I wouldn't call an emergency meeting unless it was a real emergency. Leo's already in the kitchen."

"We'll be there," Kam agreed decisively, cramming her feet into a pair of knit slippers.

"I'll meet you there, dears, after I get Elise," Camilla gave both heads of hair an affectionate ruffle before running off down the mansion's hallway, barefoot with her hair bounding behind her.

"Sounds serious," Cor confided as he took the back staircase two steps at a time-- what  _ was _ the Servants' Staircase, in the ye olde days from when the house was built and still had servants. "I've never seen Camilla so... frazzled."

"Me neither... I really hope everything's okay," Kam gave pause for a moment. "Hey, Cor, you don't think it's father, do you? He's been acting... really, really distant lately."

"... maybe he's mad about Mokushu Corp. trying to buy him out?" Cor guessed, even though he'd only heard about the plans as a rumor on Yahoo News.

"Maybe," sighed Kam, at last reaching the stairs' end. She pushed open the door to find Leo already there, stirring a Nohr-family-sized cauldron of hot cocoa.

"Oh no," Cor breathed, eyeing the drink with alarm. "It really  _ is _ an emergency."

Leo looked incredibly serious, even in an inside-out bathrobe and pajamas, "I don't know yet. Camilla just told me to get some ready. I... presume there is some upsetting news."

"Oh," Kam answered, collapsing into one of the kitchen barstools. Cor couldn't find any better word to express his sentiment, and so he let her speak for the both of them as he silently slid into the stool beside her.

"Okay, everyone," Camilla swept in through the door from the East Wing, lavender silk dressing-gown fluttering as Elise hurried inside past her. "Good, you all made it here."

"Where's Xander?" Corrin asked, noticing their older brother's absence.

"Still at work, I think," Elise yawned, clearly having just re-woken. She clambered into the next chair, her long nightgown tangling her clumsy legs. "He went in this morning and I haven't seen him since... I hope he at least finds a comfy sofa, if he doesn't make it back here tonight."

"He knows the news," Camilla made eye contact with Leo, and with a subtle nod of her head, the youngest brother began ladling hot cocoa into mugs. "He was the one who sent  _ me _ this little tidbit, actually."

"What's the emergency?" Kam prodded, even as Leo slid the last of the cups in place and took his own seat.

"As you know, father has been pursuing the latest merger for... quite some time," Camilla replied carefully, taking a dainty sip and mulling it over. And they certainly  _ did _ know-- you would have to live under a rock to be unaware of Garon Nohr's singleminded determination to buy Dawn Technologies Inc. "We... will be hosting a dinner party here, three days from now, and the owners of this corporation will be invited."

"Oh gods," Leo immediately went ashen, nearly dropping his mug.

"I don't understand, it's just a dinner party, right?" Elise looked confused.

"Elise, darling," Camilla set down her mug, reluctant to say more. "Dawn Technologies is owned by Sumeragi  _ Hoshido _ ."

"Oh," answered Elise. Then, her eyes widened as the realization sunk in, " _ Ohhhhhhhh _ . Oh no."

"Hoshido?" Kam turned her head to the side, knitting her brows together. "That name sounds... familiar."

"What's so bad about that?" Cor wondered out loud. "I think I was friends with a Takumi Hoshido once at summer camp. Hey, Leo, do you remember--"

"Yes," Leo scowled, looking up from his hot cocoa. "I remember. The real question is whether  _ you _ remember."

"Remember what, now?" Kam blinked absently.

"No, wait, I kind of remember this," Cor scoured his brain. "There was some... really big fight or something."

Nobody was willing to speak. Elise quietly sipped at her hot cocoa.

"Sweetie," Camilla said after a long silence, clearly troubled by digging up the past. "Ryoma Hoshido is Xander's ex-boyfriend."

There was another pause. Leo raised his hand.

"Yes, Leo?" Camilla sighed, even her youngest brother's adorable quirks unable to cheer her up.

"Ryoma Hoshido," he stated, as if he were answering a question asked by a teacher. "Is a lying asshole who blatantly cheated on our brother and then had the audacity to say that he did  _ nothing wrong _ . They dated for two and a half years in high school. I'm  _ sure _ you remember the break-up. It was messy."

"I remember big brother shouting something in the foyer. I think he was in high school, then," Kam nodded, the memory slowly returning to her. Mimicking his inflection, "Something like ' _ Char _ lotte is a LESbian!' But Xander was way more dramatic about it. Which was funny, because up til then I actually thought he and Charlotte were  _ dating _ ."

"Oh yeah, I liked Charlotte! She was the best at shopping," Elise commented. "And Xander took her to all those dinner-type events he had to take a date for. Before he came out to dad, I mean. I still can't believe dad grounded him for a  _ whole week _ for not saying anything sooner."

"Wait, no, he's not  _ that _ guy?" Cor looked taken aback by this. "I remember Ryoma! He came to our tenth birthday party in a lobster suit and gave us all lobsterback rides!"

Leo tisked, "Well, people change. Everyone's friends... and family... took sides in the conflict, and it escalated very quickly. Actually, I'm fairly certain that even  _ father _ took it personally. After all, he only started trying to acquire Dawn Tech after the ordeal between our brother and that Hoshidan scum."

"My poor, darling, mislead Hinoka," Camilla sighed. "How could she defend Ryoma after the despicable things he did, even if he was her brother? And I'm sure you recall when Beruka had to leave the anime club because she couldn't abide the smack talk about our dear Xander! I'll never forgive them. I can't. I'd sooner slay them than forgive them."

"I'm sure there was just a misunderstanding," Kam awkwardly patted her sister's shoulder. So she didn't  _ exactly _ remember the guy, but she definitely remembered the lobsterback ride. Best birthday ever, if she had to be honest.

"Misunderstanding or not, he was super mean to Xander!" Elise burst out indignantly, slamming her empty mug on the table. "After big brother went through the whole ordeal of coming out to father, getting grounded for being too scared to say it before, and writing sorry notes to every girl dad ever set up on a date with him! Like, I didn't see him leave his room for a  _ whole week _ , that's how hard he worked for that big meanyface lobsterpants! Locked up in his room, no phone, all alone--"

She was cut off by the sound of a door closing, so firmly that it was almost a slam. Xander's brow was creased in evident pain, "That's enough, Elise."

"But--" she clearly had more to say on the subject, upset that her brother was going to cut her off from defending him.

"Enough," Xander answered, firmly but not unkindly. "Camilla, I didn't tell you about the dinner party so you could discuss the sordid details of my past love life. Please tell me you at least managed to put a call through to the caterer, like I  _ asked _ you to?"

"The caterer, the decorator,  _ and _ the cleaner's," Camilla looked hurt, but unapologetic. "Xander, our siblings deserve to know when people they don't like are going to be coming into our home."

"That's right," Leo defended her, knowing how upset he'd have been if he'd been left in the dark. "I'd like to be... prepared... for any potential Hoshido conflict."

"There will be no conflict," Xander frowned. "What's in the past will remain in the past. This meeting is purely in the interests of Dusk Corporation, and I trust that as heirs to the company, none of us will allow our  _ personal feelings _ interfere with our duty."

"You say that," Camilla sniffed, letting a slightly-teary Elise hug her for comfort. "But you still asked me to make sure that lobster tempura was on the menu."

"That," Xander straightened his back, looking extremely stern. "Was purely for business reasons. I have it from a... reliable source... that at least one major Dawn Tech leader is fond of the dish. It is imperative we keep them open to negotiations."

"Just answer me this," Camilla lifted her chin defiantly, not about to back down to her barely-older brother. Her scrutinizing eyes narrowed, "Is that 'reliable source' your first date?"

Tension hung in the air for a moment. Corrin and Kamui silently exchanged a look, agreeing to stay as far out of this battle as possible.

At last, both of the older siblings seemed to deflate, wilting in the face of a real argument.

"Sorry," Camilla exhaled, tension draining from her at the sight of her older sibling looking so defeated. "I shouldn't have opened old wounds."

"No, the fault is mine," Xander carefully tried to rub away a budding headache. "I came home irritated, and let my temper get the best of me. I'll reconvene with you all tomorrow at brunch. Corrin, Kamui... please try to wake up before noon."

"We'll... try," Cor smiled, joking weakly, too shaken to even remember to tell Leo that his bathrobe was inside-out.

Kam tugged his arm in the direction of the stairs, but in all honesty, neither of them cared quite as much about their Youtube recording as they had before.

* * *

"So," Kam said after laying in bed for about an hour, looking up at the ceiling of their shared bedroom/recording studio/sitting room. "You can't sleep either, huh?"

"I've never seen big brother like that before," Cor's eyes popped open as he gave up trying to squeeze them shut. "And I can't remember the last time Camilla fought with  _ anyone _ in our family. At least, not like that."

"Me too," she turned over on her side, unable to get comfortable. "I just can't shake this feeling that there's something... missing. Some part of the story that I've forgotten, or something that I don't know yet..."

"I wish Azura were here," Cor sighed. "She'd know what was going on. Azura finds out  _ everything _ ."

"If she were in a video game, she'd be the walking exposition character," Kam agreed. "But she's doing the whole world-tour-thing again. With that one rapper chick."

"Wait," Cor sat up abruptly. "Azura's in Melior right now, right?"

"Uh, she should be..." Kam sat up more slowly, rubbing her eyes. "Her concert's from eight to ten tonight and tomorrow. Or...  _ was _ from eight to ten. I can never remember the time zones for these things."

Cor pulled up a time converter on his dawnPhone, "We have half an hour."

"Gods, are you  _ calling _ her?" Kam clambered out of bed, turning on a lamp on her way over. "She's a pop star! Her concert starts in half an hour!"

"This is an emergency," Cor sulked, hitting the dial function regardless and putting her on speakerphone. Thank goodness the rooms on either side were unoccupied.

"Hello?" the singer's clear voice came through the phone. "Corrin? What are you doing still awake, is it not nearly two in the morning in Krakenburg?"

"We kind of have a problem," Kam answered, pointedly not informing their sister that, as college students and gamers, they had pulled much, much later nights.

"I can't talk long, I'm in dressing right now," Azura replied. A pause, and then a muffled, "Rinkah, please let costuming do their job, don't punch the makeup artist!"

"I only need fifteen minutes," Cor replied. "What do you know about Ryoma Hoshido?"

"Hm?" that certainly brought Azura's attention back to her phone. "You mean the heir to Dawn Tech? We've only spoken a few times, but he seemed quite respectable. Well-mannered."

"Hey, you talkin' about Ryoma Hoshido?" a muffled voice in the background. "I knew that guy! Second-best arm wrestler I ever met."

"Apparently he arm-wrestles excellently," Azura reported solemnly. "If I'm not mistaken, he and our eldest brother had a brief dalliance in high school. One that ended, as most high-school romances do."

"Yeah, but do you know what happened to them?" Kam prodded, one eye on the clock.

"Something, I believe, about Xander vanishing for a week or so, and refusing all of Ryoma's calls. I can't confirm its accuracy myself, since I think I was already in Shirasagi. The rumor I heard was that he'd eloped with the heiress to an oil baron's empire, though that was very clearly untrue," Azura answered. There were a few muffled noises and then, "Rinkah says she heard a rumor about Ryoma having engaged in... intimate behavior... with a girl from her school. What was her name again? Scarlet?"

"There was talk," some sounds that were muffled out of comprehension and then, "... we didn't interact with the rich kids' school much. I keep out of that rumor crap, so it probably got pretty big."

"There was a fairly prolific fight. I know that much for certain. Sakura called me in absolute tears," Azura answered after a moment. "I couldn't make out what she was saying, but I think the yelling frightened her. I'm afraid that's all I can say for now, I have to be on set in three minutes."

"You've helped us a lot, Azura, no need to worry," Cor assured her. "It all just sounds like a big misunderstanding to me."

"Let us pray that's all it is," she replied, sounding needlessly grave.

"It's all right, thanks again," Kam shook her head, mood lightened by Azura's excessive solemnity. "Break a leg!"

"Thank you," was her answer before the call ended, probably in favor of enchanting crowds of hundreds who'd shown up just to hear her perform.

"Okay," Cor said, putting his phone away. "How's that for exposition?"

"Useful. Ish," Kam replied, sighing and resting her head on her hand. "I mean, pretty clearly they wound up blaming each other for some pretty dumb rumors."

"... well," Cor hesitated.

"What? Those are equally stupid rumors, right?" Kam startled.

"I mean. We don't  _ know _ Ryoma," Cor explained. "What if he really  _ did _ cheat on big brother?"

"But what if it's just a rumor that spun completely out of control?" Kam gesticulated the motion with her arms. "Doesn't everyone deserve the benefit of the doubt?"

"Innocent until proven guilty," Cor pursed his lips. "I guess that's fair."

"And it's not like big brother didn't share at least a little blame..." Kam fiddled with her hair. "What kind of boyfriend doesn't call or text for a whole week?"

"One who's been grounded by King Dad," Cor winced, having been on the receiving end of more than one grounding during his childhood. "Mountains of paperwork or manual labor to fix whatever plans got messed up, surveillance to make sure you don't leave the house... and most importantly, no electronics until the assignment's finished."

"... being grounded  _ is _ pretty bad," Kam made a sympathetic noise, having never been on that side of the spectrum herself.

"We have to at least help them not hate each other, now that we know the whole story," said Cor after a moment. "Now that I think about it... weren't all of our siblings pretty great friends with the Hoshidos?"

"Well, now that you mention it, I think I remember their youngest brother being the only one who could beat Leo at chess," Kam mused. "Okay, so what's the plan?"

"What plan?" asked Cor, taken aback.

"You're the big strategist here, Mr. I-Play-Lunatic-Classic-For-The-Tactics," she teased. "How are we going to help them to make up?"

"Honestly?" Cor tisked. "I'd leave them alone. It's been like eight years since they were in high school, and they're both almost-CEOs. I'm sure they'll just... not bring it up."

"And stew in quiet resentment forever?" Kam raised an eyebrow. "Besides, what if they never talk about anything that isn't business?"

"Well, what else are we supposed to do?" Cor looked personally offended by this. "Meddling goes wrong more often than not... lest I remind you of that time you tried to set up Felicia and Jakob?"

"I didn't know her sister had a crush on him," Kam defended. "To be honest, I'm just glad Flora forgave us in the end... that girl sure knows how to give someone the cold shoulder."

"At least Felicia had the sense to stop things before they got  _ too _ out of hand," Cor conceded. "I think probably the most we can do is leave them alone and hope for the best."

"That's it?" Kam sounded almost disappointed, as if she were expecting some sort of elaborate set-up to follow. Like shoving them in a closet, or helping them take a romantic late-night stroll or  _ something _ .

"The only other matchmaking I've ever done was by making people fight next to each other," Cor joked wryly, casting a glance towards his handheld gaming device. "Forgive me if it's not what you hoped for. We can just ask everyone to give them ample space to talk it out. They're reasonable adults, they can do it."

"It'll work," Kam nodded, reassuring herself with her words just as surely as she reassured her brother. "It has to."

 


	2. Chapter 2

"Wait, why not?" Kam frowned, squirming as Camilla wrangled her abundant hair into a simple yet elegant updo, mere hours before The Dinner Party. "There's no way big brother will get over this fight until he talks to Ryoma! Isn't that what father always said? You have to confront your problems to make them go away?"

"Well, the last time they spoke, they had a very unpleasant confrontation," she murmured darkly. Then, with an almost-saccharine sweetness, "And then Ryoma, the problem, went away. I'm not about to let that particular nasty little problem back into our dearest elder brother's life."

"Yes, but what if there was a really big misunderstanding? Like what if Ryoma didn't actually cheat?" Kamui protested, wincing as Camilla pulled the brush a little too hard. "Shouldn't he have, like. The benefit of the doubt?"

"Oh Kam, my darling Kamui," Camilla sighed wistfully. "There are plenty of people out there who would stab you in the back without a second thought. Who think they can get to the company, or to the benefits of your society, if they toy with your heart. We can't know for certain if Ryoma Hoshido is one of those... those despicable people. And we have to watch out for our family, _especially_ since Xander's always lost a bit of his levelheadedness when it comes to this particular ex."

"Well then we should _find out_ if he's one of those people, and not make any undue assumptions," Kam refused to concede on this point. "Innocent until proven guilty."

"And if he's guilty, and he comes back into dear Xander's life only to break his heart again?" Camilla looked faintly pained. "Perhaps you don't remember it... but do you recall Xander taking you to the park? Or inviting friends over our house?"

"Uh. Maybe a few times, when I was in middle school?" Kam shrugged. "But he hasn't done anything like that in a long, long time. Since he's so devoted to work nowadays."

"It didn't used to be like that," Camilla confided, making artful twists in Kamui's hair. "He was quite popular, in spite of all the time he spent preparing to inherit the company, and he was always teaching you younger siblings how to tie shoelaces, or make a campfire, or ride a horse. He even played football for a while. Perhaps I remember it best, since he and I closest in age... but after the break-up, he gave all of that up in favor of work. That awful, no-good Hoshido hurt the brother I knew so badly that he never quite the same again."

"That's..." Kam started, her gut sinking as she realized that, by losing Ryoma, Xander had lost a part of himself as well. _Terrible_ , she finished in her mind, unable to say the word out loud.

"It was bad enough the first time," Camilla returned to pinning up the last twist upon realizing that she'd stopped. "A _second_ wound like that could be crippling. I'd sooner die than let Hoshido have another chance to do that."

It was becoming rapidly clear that Kam would be utterly unable to convince her sister to leave Xander and Ryoma alone for even just fifteen minutes. Just as she was about to argue back, Camilla's personal assistants appeared, Selena bustling in with her usual exaggerated flair and Beruka following in absolute silence.

"Dry cleaning got finished," Selena scowled, handing over the garment bag. "Finally! Even though I gave it to them a week ago, and even said specifically that this dress was going to be on _Camilla Nohr_!"

"Is that so? I suppose that dry cleaner will have to find a new job after I crush their business to the ground," Camilla smiled pleasantly, once more shocking Kam with her ruthless use of influence. "Beruka, darling, _do_ make sure that all of my socialite friends hear of... hm, I suppose a failed health inspection will do?"

"It will be done," Beruka answered grimly, rather more as if she'd just been told to poison a man instead of spread rumors about a dry cleaner's. She pulled out her PDA-- because she was old fashioned enough to _still use_ PDAs-- and began tapping away.

"I'm, uh, really sure that's not necessary," Kam hurriedly tried to dissuade her sister. "I mean, it got done on time, right? And it looks super good!"

"Hm, I _do_ suppose it looks decent enough," Camilla held the dress up to her body. "The color's still the same, at least. A small miracle. Very well, Kam, just for you. Beruka, you haven't contracted out the paper forgery yet, have you, darling?"

"Con... tract?" Beruka looked puzzled for a second before she remembered that she was supposed to be a legitimate businessperson. "Oh, uh. No."

"Just spread a rumor about a moth infestation," Camilla waved it off, stepping behind a silkscreen to dress herself. "Nothing terribly big, only enough for a few days of reduced traffic."

"Understood," Beruka returned to her device.

"Hmph, good," Selena tossed a pigtail over her shoulder. "Not like I... care... about them shutting down or anything, but they're like. The only place in town that can deal with poly-cashmere blends without ruining them."

"Hmm, yes," Camilla swept from behind the screen, wearing her one-shouldered cocktail dress with all the elegance of a model. The material clung to her in plums and blacks. "It fits even better than when I bought it. When I was planning to go to prom... with friends. I suppose it must have been quite dusty, since it sat in my closet for near on seven years."

"I thought you wore that lavender and silver ballgown to prom?" Kam asked, confused. She sent a glance towards the shelf where that picture sat, and sure enough, she was wearing a completely different dress. And had, apparently, taken Xander's friend Lazwad as her date.

"The friend I bought this with..." Camilla closed her eyes, a steely edge coming into her voice. "By the time prom came around, we'd stopped speaking to each other."

"Hey, don't think about that anymore!" Selena scolded, handing her the matching headband and jewelry. "What matters is that you're wearing it now, and you look totally gorgeous. You're going to knock her socks off."

"Knock whose socks off?" Kam wondered obliviously.

Selena sent her a scathing look for the insensitivity of her comment, "It doesn't matter. Camilla looks her best."

"Agreed," spoke Beruka, so suddenly that Kamui jumped a bit. Her sister's assistant had been so quiet, she forgot she was there. "The deed is done. Contract completed."

"Thank you, Beruka darling," the thrill of having dealt some damage to a small business seemed to lighten Camilla's mood, as odd as that seemed. "That is all I will require of you both this evening... though if you wish, I would love for the two of you to stay and enjoy the evening."

"Hmph! You're lucky I brought clothes in case I had to stay longer," Selena winked, clearly revived by the idea of being able to . "Don't wait up; I'll be out in an hour. I need time to fix my makeup."

"Contract accepted," Beruka nodded in understanding. Just before disappearing into the endless halls, "I'll be... around."

"Well, Kamui, shall we?" Camilla offered her hand, and though she still had far too many questions, Kamui took it and let Camilla lead her downstairs.

It would, after all, ill suit ladies of the Nohr family to appear late to a social function.

* * *

As Kam had decided to take the initiative to speak to Camilla on the matter, Cor was left to speak to their younger brother-- no simple task. Leo was easily the least sociable member of their family, prone to outright _hiding_ prior to a major event taking place in their home.

And, okay, so Cor was better than her at hide and seek, but really, neither of them came even remotely close to Leo's skill. One time, he'd covered himself and a chair in such an elaborate manner as to appear as nothing more than a bust statue in storage. He didn't even remember who managed to find him, but it had been _hours_ before anyone had managed to discover where Leo hid, even with father, stepmother, _and_ all of the household staff looking in addition to his siblings.

So Cor scoured the halls for his brother, carefully holding his hand beneath the nose of each statue to check for breathing. Just in case.

But then, a quiet sneeze-- from one of the dusty old guest rooms that hadn't been used in probably at least five years, and Cor knew he'd found his brother, ramming open the door to find Leo sitting, frozen, crouched over what looked like a pile of books.

"I was just looking for you, Leo," he smiled.

"... you have the devil's own luck, brother," Leo looked equal parts impressed and annoyed. "That was the first time I've sneezed, and I've been in here almost all afternoon. And it just so happens to be as you were passing by."

"What are you doing here?" Cor furrowed his brow, puzzled. "I didn't know we kept books in the guest rooms?"

"We... usually only one or two," answered Leo, choosing his words with great caution. "Just. A few more, in this one."

"So then you've been reading in here?" asked Cor, looking over the desk. It did seem unusually well-maintained, even for their mansion's decently-kept guest rooms.

"... every now and then," replied Leo, deeming that Cor's queries were safe enough to return to what he was doing.

"Those look like haiku," Cor peered over Leo's shoulder. He reached over to pick up another book, only to have Leo grab his wrist before he could so much as touch it.

"Sorry," Leo looked slightly apologetic. "They're... borrowed. Under the promise that nobody else so much as touch them."

"Wow, whoever you borrowed them from must be really protective of their books," Cor looked mildly impressed. "But still... they let you borrow them. Haha, I guess they'd know _all about_ how you go through your personal bookshelf every week with a mini-vacuum and a compressed air can!"

"Yes, well," Leo shut his eyes for a moment, took a breath. His heart ached as he added, "He has just as many of mine."

"You... trusted someone? With your books?" Cor's eyebrows shot up. "As in, took-them-out-of-the-house borrowed?"

"Is that a problem?" Leo knit his brows, his reply terse.

"No! No, of course not, it's just that..." Cor hurriedly tried to ease the situation. "The last time Xander needed to borrow one of your books, you wouldn't let him leave _your room_ with it, much less the house."

"Xander is notoriously bad at returning literature," Leo frowned. "He still has my copy of _The Archanean War: An Illustrated Study_. Which he borrowed over ten years ago. Not to mention the home library copy of _Wyvern Wars: Showdown at High Noon_."

"I mean, I guess what I'm saying is that you must really, really trust your friend," Cor laughed nervously, because it was actually he who had borrowed the second _Wyvern Wars_ book from Xander and never returned it. "When do I get to meet them?"

"... never, if I have any say in it," answered Leo, after a few moments of hesitation. His irritation faded into anger as he breathed, "We're not... friends anymore."

"Not... friends?" Cor looked taken aback by it. "But... Leo, the books..."

"Look," Leo's voice rose, his anger surfacing once more. More harshly than ever, "Xander's not the _only_ one who lost someone when he broke up with Ryoma, okay?? My best friend-- my FIRST friend-- fought with me over which of our brothers was the cheating slut, and then we never spoke again. We couldn't even bear to see each other long enough to return... to return these books."

"Leo," Cor gasped, watching his brother deflate completely at that last revelation. Upset that he'd brought up what were obviously some very unhappy memories, "I didn't know... I'm so, so sorry."

"It's not your fault," Leo's fingers delicately caressed the place where someone's teenaged scrawl marked a poem as a special favorite. "It isn't as if anyone paid much attention to either of us. Something as subtle as our friendship was easy enough to miss if you weren't specifically looking for it."

"Oh, Leo," Cor looked pained by the whole situation.

"In truth... I'm still not certain whether or not Ryoma really did cheat on our elder brother," Leo sighed. "In retrospect, it seems almost farcical. But the things I said to Takumi about it... I can never face him honorably again. Cor... no, Corrin. Don't make me go to the party. Even if it reflects poorly on my responsibility, I can't..."

Cor, having forgotten the reason why he'd sought him in the first place, almost gave in. In fact, almost volunteered to steer people away from finding Leo at all, making up some excuse about a stomach bug or fever.

But then the door burst open-- quite literally, knocked off its hinges by a pair of men who didn't seem entirely hinged themselves, given that they'd decided to tackle a door where merely knocking would have done the job.

"Do my ears hear the grim sighs of the master of dungeons, dooming himself to an evening of avoiding houseguests?" the blonde cried, wearing what looked to be... a very tight-fitting leotard, with more than necessary bells and whistles and... _strategic_ cutouts. "Let me pluck that word, ' _can't_ ,' from the air!"

"And let me lay that word softly back upon your tongue to swallow," his tanned friend added. At least this one looked normally dressed, save for the eyepatch. "After I was ever so looking forward to this week's dungeon roleplay."

"Um," started Cor, looking between the men and Leo, not entirely sure what was going on there. Really, between the leotard and the dungeon and the tongue and the swallowing...

Leo gave a heavy, put-upon sigh, "Cor. These are my... friends from school. The one in the leotard is Odin, who takes live-action roleplay too seriously. And the one with the eyepatch is Niles. Ignore everything that comes out of their mouths."

"You aren't going to introduce him to us?" Niles made a vague gesture to Corrin.

"Is he a new player? Never fear, comrade, Odin Dark always comes prepared! From the double-paneled sheaf of scrollholding, behold the very might of creation!" Odin held up a plastic folder with entirely too much pride. "And by that, I mean I brought blank character sheets."

"Guys, stop," Leo looked easily twelve times as exasperated as he'd been before. "Odin, Niles, this is my brother Corrin; we call him Cor. And he isn't here to play D&D with us. I specifically TOLD you that tabletop gaming night was CANCELED this week, because I have a family thing."

Quite frankly relieved that he wasn't about to hear all the sordid details of his brother's sex life, Cor finally strung together a coherent sentence, "I didn't know you played Dungeons and Dragons, Leo."

"Oh, he does. And he makes for a delightfully torturous dungeon master," Niles purred.

"Niles and I traversed through yonder hill and dale to appear before thy hearth JUST IN CASE you really meant to cancel next week, and not this week," Odin explained. "My dice hand twitches! I require EXP to slake its undying thirst for vengeance at least once every fortnight, or else I start going into a dire bloodrage!"

"A bloodrage that is solved with _strawberry smoothies_ ," Leo rubbed his forehead, seriously considering punching one or both of them. "Don't you have other things to do?"

"But master Leo, I already had to steal some dice for today, and then we begged Odin's friend for a ride all the way to your remote mansion for you," Niles complained, draping himself over Leo's shoulders. With a wicked grin, "Why, the only thing left on my to-do list is killing something, and then it'll just be another regular Tuesday for little ol' Niles."

"..." Leo looked between Cor and his friends, as if debating whether it would be all right to speak in the current company. "Today is the business dinner with all of Dawn Tech's higher ups. As... someone with a vested stake in making sure everything goes smoothly-- both business and otherwise-- it is my responsibility to attend. No matter how much I wish to feign illness and skip it."

Cor gave a subtle nod, "I was thinking... maybe the whole mess would be patched up if we just left Ryoma and Xander alone long enough for them to talk it out?"

"Unlikely," Leo answered. "There is the chance they would resolve their issues, yes... but a greater chance for them to rehash old arguments. And I would really rather not deal with this when we'll have to negotiate terms for a company merger later this evening. I'm leaving to bathe and get dressed, Corrin. I suggest you do the same."

"I'll come with you, o noble Lord Leo! Allow me to, as I was prophetically ordained, guard you in your moments of vulnerability as retainer and friend!" Odin hollered. "I will stand guard outside your bathroom door, halting all who pass to ensure you are undisturbed!"

"An excellent idea, Odin," Niles grinned, and then Cor found himself caught under the weight of a lithely muscled arm. "In fact, if I'd be allowed, I'll do the same for this one over here. I can't believe Leo's been hiding such a cute brother from us all these years... someone needs to keep an eye on this one. And, fortunately, that's exactly how many working eyes I have."

"I... ugh. Niles, Odin, get out of my house," Leo scowled. "No, wait, Odin-- borrow my clothes and burn that fucking sorcerer suit before you leave, I never want to see that yellow monstrosity again."

And with that, he stormed from the room.

Odin waited for a minute or two before following, "I can't leave him alone; someone needs to make sure he doesn't put on mismatched socks, or something. This is a quest that can only be taken under the supervision of Odin Dark, hero of the darkest night!"

"All right, then," Niles addressed Cor. "Let me walk you to your bedroom's door. I was joking about standing guard outside the bathroom, by the way. I want to speak with you."

"What did you want to talk to _me_ about?" Cor looked utterly perplexed by the question, but began walking anyways.

"Ah, wouldn't you like to know? If you must, it's about Leo. He's been acting stranger than usual all weekend," Niles tucked a silver bang into his hood. "I have the feeling that this dinner is an even bigger deal than it seems from the outside."

"We have some... family drama with the Hoshidos," Cor admitted.

"Hm, it's a good thing I really _am_ on Leo's side here," Niles tisked. "If I were planning to whore out to paparazzi, you would have just given me some excellent assets."

"Um...?" Cor asked. What did you even say to that?

"Fortunately, I'm already _intimately_ acquainted with the situation," Niles patted his shoulder. "Though, I suppose, working for Leo's benefit and pleasure instead of the company's."

"It makes me glad to know my brother has such excellent friends," Cor smiled softly. "What can I do to help?"

"He says, before he even knows my plans," Niles chuckled. "I have friends in catering and service. Odin's got friends in the company higher-ups. You, little Corrin-- can _I_ call you Cor?-- just need to help _your siblings_ stay out of the way. Which, if the words ever touched my ears, was your plan to begin with."

"It was," Cor nodded, a little embarrassed that even as Leo's brother, he hadn't been able to muster quite as expansive a response. "You can, um, call me whatever you want I guess? Uh-- where was I supposed to make them avoid?"

"Nowhere in particular," remarked Niles offhandedly. "Keep your sisters busy, and make sure the eldest brother doesn't ask too hard about where Leo is. Try not to interfere with the youngest Hoshido boy."

It dawned on Cor that their plans were, in fact, aiming for two separate objectives. Objectives that would aid each other, instead of injure. He answered, "I'll do my best."

"Good," and then Leo's friend turned around and began the walk back. "I'm going back to undress Lord Leo from whatever ridiculous getup Odin chose. Try not to miss me."

Corrin shook his head. But at least there was an ally in all of this, so he supposed he should count his blessings.


	3. Chapter 3

Kam glanced up the atrium impatiently, eyes quickly flickering between the stairs and the door even as she plastered a smile over her face and greeted the various Dawn Tech and Dusk Corp leaders that filtered in through the double-doors. Actually, it was quite chilly for the summer, and she was starting to get goosebumps over her arms, but she wouldn't be permitted to leave until even _after_ the Hoshidos arrived, busy making sure each of their RSVPed guests were welcomed.

Camilla and Elise seemed to whirl among the guests, charming even the ones from Dawn Tech into the very idea of working in a company with two such wonderful future leaders.

Then, Cor carefully strode down the stairs, leading in Leo, who looked less than pleased to be there. Still, they drew more than a gaze or two from their guests, looking very handsome in suits of expertly-tailored slate gray and deep black, respectively. Naturally, of course, Cor's tie and cufflinks matched the blue of her own dress and its angled ribbon-striping, because even the designers of _Cherche et Fils_ couldn't resist dressing twins in matching outfits, much to Kam's chagrin.

"My brothers, Corrin and Leo Nohr," Kam smiled up at Mr. Yukimura from Dawn Tech, who she'd just been discussing webcam functionality with. She'd already forgotten his first name.

"They cut fine figures," Yukimura acknowledged. Rather more curiously, "Corrin is the brother you produce your vlog with, correct?"

"Yes," answered Kam politely, though she wasn't sure if vlog was exactly the right word for ninety hours of twins screaming about video games. "He handles a large portion of our material coverage, though I handle recording and video arrangement."

"I suppose I shall let you greet them," Yukimura chuckled. "It was a pleasure to speak with you, Miss Kamui."

"Likewise, Mr. Yukimura," she nodded, secretly relieved to be free of the conversation. As cool as his work was-- Kam herself hoped to someday fulfill a similar role at Nohr Corp-- there were too many things riding on tonight to truly get into the conversation. And so, she slid to where Cor and Leo stood, hoping she would arrive before either of them could be whisked away.

"Cor, Leo," and here she exchanged a Look with Cor, trying to assess her brother's success. It was probably decent enough, she supposed. "You're almost late. What happened?"

"My friends showed up unannounced," Leo frowned. "And I had to wrestle my way out of three vampire costumes."

"I'm truly sorry to say it, but I think you're still wearing the shirt from the last one," Cor remarked, gesturing to the floofy cravat Leo still wore.

"I hate my friends," Leo took a breath. "Let's just. Get this over with."

"You may not have to mill around much longer," Kam's head turned towards the door as a limousine, white as a bone, pulled to the front gates and began its slow march across the massive front yard driveway, already packed full of more cars than the nightly-hire valets could take care of all at once.

"Sumeragi Hoshido," their father's voice boomed, smiling in a manner that looked more crazed than friendly. "Glad you arrived safely."

"Garon Nohr," was the answering reply, said by lips set in a tense, strained smile. "Thank you for the invitation."

"I trust our... negotiations will come to a conclusion," Garon narrowed his eyes minutely.

"They shall. If we can reach an acceptable compromise," replied Sumeragi, feigning his unshaken demeanor. "You've met my wife, Mikoto. And my four children-- Sakura, Takumi, Hinoka. And... Ryoma."

"As lovely as ever," Garon bent to kiss Mikoto's gloved hand, and that was when all six of his own present children gathered around him. "It's been a while. You'll recall Elise, Leo, Kamui, Corrin, Camilla... my other daughter, Azura, is still overseas due to the short notice of this meeting. And, of course, my heir, Xander."

"How could I forget?" and something very sad sparked in Sumeragi's eyes for a moment, like a flash in a pan, before it was gone.

Garon stared him down silently, somehow even more silently solemn than usual.

"Ryoma still has the lobster suit," Mikoto said, just to ease the tension. She smiled widely, "Do you remember that time he--"

"Mother," Ryoma interrupted, turning a shade of red not unlike his tie. "Please no, that's embarrassing."

"But you were so cute," Mikoto pinched his cheek.

"..." After a moment's nostalgia, Xander found himself opening his mouth, not entirely aware that he was speaking out loud, "You _were_."

The room fell into an awkward, dead silence that caught on to even the furthest reaches of the room, even out to those mingling in the courtyard. Never before had the conversations of an entire crowd of people come to such an uncomfortable halt.

"Hey, let's go get something to drink," Elise, for lack of a better thing to do, took a hold of Sakura's hand and gently tugged the wrist in the general direction of the ballroom.

"G-good idea," Sakura, on her behalf, looked relieved that someone (even if it was a Nohrian) was going to be rescuing her from this disaster.

"I'll come too!" Hinoka, concerned for her sister, began to hurry after them.

"Hm," Camilla narrowed her eyes at the red-haired girl, and vanished back off to mingle with the crowd and slowly revive conversation.

In the tense atmosphere, it was almost too easy for Leo to slink off into the darkness of a winding hallway, having already made his appearance in the main atrium. He silently thanked every god he knew of that nobody followed him.

Cor, for his part, looked relieved that all of their siblings had left the vicinity. Kam seemed mildly panicked, if only because Sumeragi and Garon looked about prepared to take the decorative axes off the mantle and go at it with blades like times of old. Yukimura fell in and murmured something to Mikoto, and she answered with a nod.

"Oh _my_ , is that a _Ylissean waltz_ I hear?" she at last announced, too loudly, quite possibly in the most awkward manner a sentence had ever been phrased. Gently pulling her husband away from the staring contest, "Please excuse my husband, Mr. Nohr, I haven't danced a Ylissean waltz in ages!"

"Of course. The entertainment of the evening is at your perusal," Garon grunted, mentally singing praises to Baphomet, Shiva, and Anankos-The-Dark-God-of-Leo's-D&D-Setting.

"If you'll excuse me, Father, I believe Iago wished to speak to me tonight," Xander excused himself, and left at Garon's nod.

"Thank you again for hosting the negotiations," Ryoma spoke to Garon, but his eyes lingered on Xander's retreating form, coattails sweeping like a cape. "I hope we will come to a finalized agreement tonight."

"For your sake," answered Garon, looking as if he would personally take Ryoma's head to the axe. An ominous note crept into his voice. "I do as well. Feel free to enjoy the festivities... while you can."

"Of course," Ryoma narrowed his eyes, calculating, trying not to show that he was seriously _fucking terrified_ of this man. Then he, too, slipped into the ballroom, not even noticing that Takumi had mysteriously vanished sometime in the middle.

Garon cast a glance at the only two members of his family that were still standing beside him, "Corrin, Kamui... get someone to hide Bolverk. _That man_ is trying my patience."

"Yes, father," Kam answered immediately, casting a glance at the axe crest on their wall. It was, technically speaking, bolted there, but she had absolutely no doubts that Garon could rip it from the stone with his bare hands if agitated enough.

"I'll go get Effie," Cor shifted uncomfortably, wondering if he needed to have Siegfried, the sword in their library, locked away as well.

As far as the start of the evening could have gone, neither of the twins could have possibly imagined anything worse.

* * *

In the ballroom, Elise had snagged two flute glasses off the tray of the nearest passing waiter, handing one each to Sakura and Hinoka.

"These ones should be seltzer, I think," and she took a third glass off another tray. "I don't know if either of you drink, but usually we don't start serving alcohol until dinner, so..."

"Seltzer's fine," scowled Hinoka, knocking back the whole thing in one go. What had Camilla been thinking, wearing _that dress_ on tonight of all nights, the fabric clinging to her curves and hollows almost _too_ well? That dress, from the one shopping trip before... well, Hinoka's from that trip was still the only dress she owned, and sitting unworn in its garment bag in some sort of weird nostalgic reverence. Clearly Camilla hadn't afforded hers the same.

"T-thank you," Sakura stuttered, taking a timid sip. "Um... are you sure these are seltzer? Because they kind of taste like..."

"Oh! Yucky!" Elise coughed, having taken a taste of her own. "Bleargh, gross. Why would anyone even--"

"Hey," Hinoka scowled, setting her empty glass on a nearby table. "Were you just trying to give alcohol to my little sister? My _underaged_ little sister?"

"Not on purpose!" Elise defended herself, shoving her own flute away. "This hasn't ever happened before!"

Hinoka took the glass from Sakura's hands and set it down hard enough that the liquid sloshed over the rim, "I thought we were _over_ our brothers breaking up. I was even ready to consider forgiving you for spreading those lies about Ryoma."

"Who was spreading lies about _who_?" Elise looked affronted. "How can you say that, when it was _you_ who called Xander the cheater first!"

"I guess in the end, you really _can't_ trust a Nohrian," Hinoka turned around, feeling the desperate urge to whack some things around with a stick. "Sakura, don't drink anything these chumps give you."

"But she didn't--" Sakura started, but then, too cowed by her elder sister's forcefulness, gave up. "I-if you say so, Hinoka."

"Sa-sakura," Elise's eyes began to water. Something in her demeanor deflated, then, before she steeled her childlike heart as best as she could, "Right. Sorry. It was a mistake."

The Hoshidan sisters had scarcely left, Sakura giving one last hesitant glance back at Elise, before Cor entered, shocked by sunny, upbeat Elise's injured expression.

"Elise, what happened?" he came running to comfort her.

"Hinoka got mad at me because I gave Sakura the wrong drink," Elise sniffled. "And then, even though she knew I just made a mistake, Sakura just... went along with it. Just like before, she stopped talking to me because her siblings told her to. I know it's not... it's not her fault, but it really hurts! I just want to be her friend again, but her family's just... really, really, super ultra _mean_!"

"I'm sure there's just been a misunderstanding," Cor tried to reassure her. "Maybe, if you got Sakura alone, without any of her siblings, you could talk it out? And maybe she can help get her siblings to be friends with our siblings again, because I really, really don't want to have to stop dad from fighting Sumeragi, or Ryoma, or _both_ for Xander's honor."

"Did he really threaten to do that?" Elise wiped away the watering at her eyes and managed a small laugh.

"I'm looking for Effie as we speak to get Bolverk away from him," Cor nodded, extremely serious. "You know where she is?"

"In the kitchens, I think," Elise answered. "And... thanks, Cor. I'm gonna talk to Sakura, and I won't let anyone stop me!"

"That's the spirit," Cor couldn't help but smile back, waving goodbye as he hurried down to the kitchens, hoping that Elise's favored bodyguard hadn't yet decimated the entirety of the dinner. It seemed he'd be running double-intervention tonight.

* * *

Kam, in the meantime, had hunted down a painting that would serve as an adequate enough temporary replacement, once they swapped the place of the weaponry on the wall during dinner. As she paused to catch her breath in the hallway on her way down, she caught the threads of a conversation from... a guest room? Weren't those roped off from general visitors?

"... I can't believe Garon named that... that teenaged _brat_ as company inheritor," a sneering voice sounded within. Kam held her breath, pressing her ear to the door. That was the voice of Iago, their father's chief financial officer, completely unmistakable. "Hans, what does Xander have that I don't?"

"Nohrian blood," a second, grunting voice answered. That was probably Hans, the head of Dusk Corp.'s security detail.

"Besides that, nothing! I'm the one who worked for this position from a job as an office drone," Iago hissed. That was when Kam pulled her dawnPhone from her bra and started recording it, flipping the phone upside down so the camera faced through the crack in the doorway. Iago obviously thought he was safe up here, since he showed no indication of noticing it. "I'm the one who's lied, cheated... _killed_ for the company. And what do I get?"

"Not enough, obviously," Hans snorted. "The killing was fun, though."

"I thought the last rumor I spread about Xander would have _destroyed_ him and his chances of inheriting the company," on Kam's phone screen, Iago threw his arms up in the air, clearly exasperated. "But apparently, even rumors of despoiling the heiress of a mining company isn't enough to take down Garon's golden boy. And after I paid so well for the photoshopped pictures... not like it mattered, because apparently Garon could figure out that they weren't real. Just what you'd expect from the man who'd built this company from the ground up."

"You could hire someone to take him out," came Hans' voice next. "Make it look like an accident. Like Arete."

Kam stifled a gasp to avoid getting caught. Arete Nohr had been Azura's mother, the favorite stepmother of all of Garon's heirs, the woman who'd adopted herself and Cor as children. The two of them still suffered from amnesia caused by trauma from the car crash that had killed her. And Hans had just said...

"Hmmm, yes. Lovely woman. A shame we had to eliminate her, but that's what she earned for deciding to snoop in some of our less... legal... dealings," answered Iago, who had the audacity to chuckle. "I'll hold off on calling in another hit... for now. Of course, it's far more difficult to get rid of a man with three younger siblings who could take his place. Six, I suppose, if you count Arete's brats."

"What're you planning?" Hans' voice took on an oddly playful tone.

"You know what I always say," Iago purred. "An obstacle that can't be eliminated can turn into a pawn to be manipulated. I've my own plans for tonight."

That was enough footage for now, Kam decided, and quickly, quietly ended the video before she got caught, stuffing her dawnPhone back in her bra and hurrying down the stairs, only to quite literally bump into Camilla.

"Kamui, darling? My, that's an awfully heavy painting you've got for such slim arms," she looked at her sister quizzically. "Can I help you with that?"

"Yes, please," Kam hurriedly passed the frame over, and Camilla quite easily walked it to an inconspicuous place in the hallway.

"Father mentioned you might need help," Camilla added. "But you seem to have had it all under control..."

"Father?" Kam looked up with wide, anxious eyes. "Where is he? I need to see him _now_. Right away."

"He went to his study to get some paperwork," Camilla replied, trying to soothe her obviously frazzled sibling. "Kam, my darling Kamui, did you need a glass of water, or...?"

"I need to see father _immediately_ ," Kam began fidgeting, too antsy to stand still. She grabbed her phone from her bra, afraid it would fall out otherwise, and lose all of the precious footage she'd gathered. "I have to go. Tell Corrin it's up to him now, this is way bigger than any of us expected."

And she ran, taking the steps two at a time, grateful that she'd managed to talk her way into flats, instead of high heels. Coming at last to a skid outside of her father's study, she pushed the heavy oak door open, slamming it shut behind her, looking as if she'd run an entire marathon.

"Kamui," Garon turned away from his filing cabinet, looking thoroughly disgruntled at being interrupted. "You're supposed to be at the party downstairs. And... you're missing a shoe."

"I know, but you have to see this," she held up her phone, selecting the video and playing it, "Immediately."

"Since you insist," Garon, obviously thinking that it was one of Kam's Youtubes, settled in to at least pretend to watch it. It drew his full attention once Iago's voice cut through the audio, professing to having killed for the company.

His eyes slowly widened, before he settled into an incredibly grave expression.

"Father, please, you have to do something," Kam begged as the video cut out. She wiped away the tears that sprung to her eyes, the ones she hadn't even realized began to fall. Probably due to the stress of the situation, she thought absently.

"I... had my suspicions that Iago was testing Xander on purpose," Garon began slowly. "At times, I'd wondered if he was deliberately _sabotaging_ my son. But this... Arete..."

"Father," Kam whispered, quietly reaching out to hug him.

"You have to be ruthless in business," Garon looked almost as if he would crush the phone in his hand. "But to be this kind of ruthless... dishonorable. Despicable. Stay here, Kamui. I'm calling law enforcement. And I'll see if Sumeragi can lend us some of _his_ security detail. There's a bulletproof shield in the closet, but Anankos willing, it won't be needed."

"Where's Anankos from?" Kam sniffled, knowing her father's tendency to pray to a variety of gods, regardless of whether or not he thought they truly existed-- just in case. Leo had picked up the habit from him, after all.

"... Leo's board game," Garon answered, prying Kam's arms off of him. "I have a rat to get rid of."

"Okay," and though she put on a brave face until the door shut and locked behind him, the first thing she did was crawl into the closet and get behind that bulletproof shield.

Just in case.

 


	4. Chapter 4

The party downstairs was in full swing, even as Garon discreetly pulled Sumeragi aside to borrow some of his security detail until law enforcement arrived, seeing as his own security leader had been apparently working against his family all along. Hinoka, only faintly tipsy from her one drink, occasionally spoke when she was spoken to and mostly just stood off to the side, sampling a few of the offered hors d'oeuvres.

"Um, hey," Cor smiled at her, daring to approach. This was for Elise, he reminded himself, and also Kamui, who had apparently run off and miraculously patched things up with father and Sumeragi, somehow, but was now nowhere to be seen. "Hinoka, right? Do you want to dance?"

Hinoka narrowed her eyes, her first thought being that this was a Nohrian, but her second one being that, "No, little Corrin? Cor? Is that you? We haven't spoken in ages!"

"Oh! Yeah, it's me, but," here he rubbed his neck sheepishly. "I don't remember you all that great. There was a car accident, and I forgot a lot of things."

"Right. How are you doing?" Hinoka asked, at least thoroughly assured that this man had no recollection of being a total dick about Ryoma. "That was all over the news a couple years back."

"Okay, I think. I remember stuff a little better than Kam, so you should probably worry about her a little more," he smiled nervously, unsure if he could continue a conversation long enough for Elise and Sakura to steal away to somewhere quiet. "I remember that time when we were kids, and some local bullies were picking on me and Kam, so you chased them all away, waving around this super huge stick. I think that was you, at least. Your hair was a different color."

"Ha! Yeah, that was how I met you guys," Hinoka laughed. "Not like I had to scare them very hard. Just a couple taps on the ankles and they went running. I... started dyeing my hair in high school. I guess you probably forgot about that."

"Um," Cor wrinkled his nose. "Was it at our house, maybe? I don't remember you doing it, exactly, but I think Camilla's sink still has this one super bright stain on the corner."

"Ah... yeah," Hinoka looked faintly nostalgic. Those were in the days where she and Camilla were such good friends that they practically lived at each other's houses, practically became older sisters to _all_ of the younger kids, regardless of relation. She was about to ask Cor if he remembered anything else, but then the one person she'd been hoping to avoid most swept in.

"Oh, there you are, Cor, my Corrin darling. Our sister Kamui wanted me to let you know that she's taking care of something very important, though I suspect she was feeling unwell and has retired," Camilla brushed her fingers over Cor's hair dotingly.

Hinoka coughed, "Excuse me, I believe _I_ was speaking to Corrin."

"Oh... you," Camilla looked equal parts injured and irate. "Well, Cor is _my_ brother, not yours. I can speak to him whenever I wish, especially if I bear an important message."

"That was totally rude," Hinoka scowled. "You cut me off mid-sentence."

"Oh?" Camilla narrowed her eyes. "Well, excuse me, Princess. Pardon my intrusion."

"I can't believe it. You're as catty as ever," Hinoka snorted. Cor slipped away, then, neither wishing to get involved with their argument nor capable of stopping it. Camilla was a force of nature, and he had no doubts that Hinoka was the same.

"And you, my dear, are still as cute," Camilla smiled with a toxic sweetness. "Cute, and hopelessly naive. Dance with me?"

"Wha-what?" Hinoka sputtered, cheeks suddenly going as red as her hair.

"I suppose I should add 'deaf' to that list," Camilla remarked, her eyes growing more intense as she narrowed them softly. "I said, dance with me."

"I don't know what game you're playing with me," Hinoka began cautiously. "But I'll accept. A dance is harmless enough."

"Oh, excellent," Camilla purred, leading her out to the dance floor. "You do look wonderful tonight... is that suit by _Nephené_? I don't recognize the style... but it could be Tellian. Possibly."

"What, this?" Hinoka shook her head. Even now, it was just _so like_ Camilla to worry about clothes. "Takumi knows a tailor. The suit's just from Macy's; Oboro fitted it."

"Oh?" Camilla seemed genuinely surprised by this. Her eyes narrowed enviously, "She has quite a close, skillful fit on you."

Hinoka sighed. Somehow she'd thought Camilla would have changed up her strategies from high school, but it was just going to be the fake flirting game again, "Like I didn't literally _watch you_ get fitted for the dress you're wearing. Nothing closer than that, I'll have you know."

"What about yours," and there was something softer about Camilla now, less like a poisonous, cutting sugar, and more like a touch of bittersweetness. "Do you still have the dress from that day?"

"Nobody _else_ has ever been able to talk me into wearing one," answered Hinoka, and despite her best attempts, she still sounded more injured than defensive.

"... I hadn't worn this one yet until today, either," Camilla admitted, and her fingers brushed down Hinoka's clothed side in a way that never ceased to make her very flesh quiver. "It didn't... it didn't feel _right_ to wear it without you."

"Camilla, no," Hinoka frowned, even though there was something genuinely disarming about her former friend's expression. "Don't say it like that. I still haven't forgiven you for what you said about Ryoma. He's just not that kind of guy."

"I know," and then, Camilla just sounded sad. More firmly, then, "I haven't forgiven you, either. Do you know what Xander did for your brother? He came out to father for him. He got grounded. He wasn't allowed to leave the house _for school_ , much less use a phone. I tried to tell you, but you just _wouldn't listen_."

"Xander... was grounded?" Hinoka immediately paled. "Oh my god. I had no idea. You know Ryoma's the kind of guy who sends a text like, every ten minutes when he can't see someone. He was freaking out after not hearing anything all weekend, totally convinced Xander was dying in some horrible torture chamber, and then those magazines came out with that picture..."

"Of my brother and that diamond heiress? Ridiculous. He's as straight as a curly fry. She eloped with some penniless nobody with the misfortune of having a very photoshoppable face," Camilla scoffed. "Imagine how _he_ felt when, coming out of a week-long exile, everyone was talking about Ryoma's new, gorgeous, very serious _girlfriend_."

"What, Scarlet?" Hinoka looked personally offended by this. With a thick note of sarcasm, "Yeah, she was _totally_ his girlfriend, if you count eating ice cream while bawling your eyes out about how your boyfriend left you anything close to a 'date.' Pretty sure even _we've_ done that once or twice."

"Oh dear," Camilla sighed after a moment, shoving down the injury that came with Hinoka's offhand dismissal of her feelings. Even if nobody else had, _she'd_ always considered Hinoka as her girlfriend. "There... may have been a very large misunderstanding. And you're sure Ryoma didn't...?"

"Completely sure," Hinoka snorted. "Even if he'd wanted to-- which I know he didn't, because Xander _wrecked_ him, you have no idea-- Scarlet's got this super strict dating rule about not getting with someone right after a breakup. She hates the idea of being a rebound."

"Ah, I see," Camilla nodded. A brokenhearted man she could see attempting to seek comfort elsewhere, but someone tough and determined to follow her own rules she could trust. "I should... apologize for calling your brother a lobster-fucking manslut."

"Urgh, why did you have to say that again?" Hinoka wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Not the kind of image I want to have of _my brother_. But I guess I'm sorry for calling Xander a gold-digging whore so closeted he's in Narnia."

Camilla chuckled against her shoulder, hugging her close, "That's... actually pretty funny, when taken out of context."

Hinoka felt warmer than before, he face pressed half to Camilla's bosom and half against her collar. Hesitantly, "So... friends again?"

And, though they were hardly where Camilla once hoped they would be, picking up where they'd left off was hardly the worst deal. She replied, "How could I say no to such a pretty face?"

Hinoka laughed, then, and Camilla smiled, and it was like they were teenagers again, if only for a moment.

* * *

"So. I guessed right then," Takumi shut the door to the library, growing only darker as the sun set. "You're here."

"You always knew me better than anyone else," Leo shut his book, laying it on the table before standing.

" _I_ always hide in the library when we have dinner guests," Takumi answered. "It wasn't that hard to find you... they used to call us _the Twins_ because we thought so alike."

"Don't even remind me," Leo scowled. Then, after a moment's pause, "I know what you're here for."

"Where are they?" Takumi asked.

"Here," and Leo pushed a box of books, neatly put away with the spines facing upward, in Takumi's direction. Very clearly well-read, but none the worse for wear.

"They're... still in good condition," Takumi looked a little surprised by this revelation. He hesitated a moment, and then, "I thought you'd... I dunno. Burned them or something."

"I wouldn't," Leo shut his eyes, suddenly wondering if burning had been the fate of his own missing literature. Not that he'd ever expected to get the books back, but knowing they were completely destroyed, never to be read again... "You were a complete jerk. But your taste in reading material was impeccable as ever."

"Right back at you, nerd," Takumi snorted, pulling a paperback copy of _Midsummer Night's Dream_ from the inside of his own coat. He placed it on the table, "I know there's still six more, but dad wouldn't let me take them. Like he thought I was going to be reading _here_ , of all places. That's the only one I managed to sneak out."

Leo looked at it in surprise, flipping through the pages and thoroughly expecting them to be defaced. Perhaps with letters etched out so the remaining lines only spelled out "nohrian scum" on repeat. But there was nothing, not even Takumi's normal post-it note scrawls. "I... don't know what to say."

"A 'thank you' might be nice," Takumi scowled, lifting one of his own books from the pile. Similarly, he was surprised by how everything still remained, not even his post-it notes on recommendations altered from their positions.

"Thank you," said Leo, holding the book against his chest, praising a myriad of gods that it and the rest of its kin were in a similar condition, even if most of them were still in Takumi's house. "Though I guess I can't expect any of your gratitude in return."

"Yeah, well, thanks. I guess," and then, with a careful hesitation, Takumi slid into the chair opposite the one Leo had been sitting in. "So. Issa versus Buson..."

"Ugh. Don't get me started," Leo collapsed back in his own chair. "The poems are equally well-written, but Issa's poems, I've found, are slightly preferable, if less traditional. They capture emotion as well as imagery-- which, prior to reading this book, I hadn't thought possible with as few as seventeen syllables."

"Yeah, but Buson's from a different time period, so I guess that accounts for the difference," Takumi answered, secretly delighted that it was this easy to fall back into old habits. "You still play chess?"

"Yes, but only with myself," answered Leo, causing Takumi to burst into peals of laughter. "H-hey! Don't laugh at me. Nobody else was willing to play."

"S-sorry," Takumi wiped a tear of hilarity from his eye. "It's just-- I'm picturing you hunched over this chess board, and shouting 'aha!' or 'beat that!' except it's at yourself, and I just..."

Leo stifled a snort, "I wasn't!"

"But you thought that was funny, too, come on," Takumi laughed. "I didn't imagine you'd get so desperate for some strategy games that you'd resort to playing yourself, Leo."

"I don't play strategy games alone," Leo protested, making Takumi laugh even harder. A smile was threatening to break Leo's lips even as he exclaimed, "I really don't!"

"But you just said you only play chess by yourself," Takumi desperately tied to quiet his laughing, his sides beginning to ache.

"There are strategy games that aren't chess," Leo coughed, Takumi's mirth almost contagious.

"Like what?" Takumi asked, once he seemed capable of breathing again.

"Like Dungeons and Dragons," admitted Leo, and that sent Takumi rolling off into another fit of hilarity.

"Oh my god," he wheezed, panting for breath. "You really went full-out geek, I can't believe it."

"Don't knock it until you've tried it," Leo kicked his foot jokingly beneath the table. "It's not _that_ different from chess. Just with storytelling. And dice."

"Eh, why not?" Takumi nudged him back. "Leo's good taste, don't fail me now."

"What, right now?" Leo looked surprised, but still stood to go dig up his exceedingly organized roleplaying material. "I guess if you want to. I think Odin left his blank character sheets here..."

"So, uh," Takumi began leafing through the rulebook Leo dropped in front of him. "Is there an archer class in this game? Like... a hunter or something?"

"Most classes can use bows," Leo looked at him oddly. "Why do you want to know?"

Takumi made an embarrassed noise, "Nobody wanted to play me at shogi anymore. I picked up World of Warcraft."

"Oh my god, Takumi," Leo tried desperately to muffle his laughter. "I can't believe... D&D is like baby-level geek in comparison to World of Warcraft. If _I'm_ full-out geek, you're the geek supreme."

"Yeah, yeah, say that to my level 90 marksman hunter," Takumi scoffed. "He can kick your ass any day of the week."

"You probably want a ranger, then. That's... kind of like a hunter," Leo tried to choke down his laughter. "You might want to pick an animal companion that's nocturnal, though."

"What the hell kind of setting is this, anyways," Takumi reached over and nabbed the white binder labeled 'Setting Notes.' His face dropped as he read the introduction page in Leo's tidy writing. "Rival countries of Hoshido and Nohr? Where the opening battle is Hoshidan assassins trying to kill the crown prince of Nohr. Ugh. I... I thought you were over this. I was."

"Really?" asked Leo, after a moment of silence. "You're over it... completely?"

"I never really believed any of the rumors," Takumi hesitated for a moment. "But all I knew was that Ryoma was hurt, and it was Xander's fault, and then Hinoka and all of their friends were telling me that he was a liar and a cheater and stuff, so I... overreacted."

"You called me Nohrian scum," Leo shut his eyes, trying to block out the pain. "Lower than dirt for trying to defend my worthless brother, less than the used toothpaste you spit out in the sink. You said this to my face."

"Y-yeah. I never meant it, but I was really worked up, and," here Takumi exhaled. "I'm sorry."

"Me too," Leo awkwardly patted Takumi's shoulder, shocked when the Hoshidan took this as a cue to stand and hug him. "I said some... exceedingly rude things about your brother that I will not repeat. I was... jealous that, in the end, you chose his side over mine. I apologize."

"Yeah. I think I learned my entire curse word vocabulary from that one conversation, hot damn," Takumi laughed and hugged him tighter. "I just want us to be friends again. To trade books and play strategy games and try to cook soup together."

"Me too," Leo replied, making a sniffling noise.

"Are you seriously _crying_?" Takumi let go of him, but only to grab a handkerchief and hold it out to Leo's face.

"No," Leo denied, taking the handkerchief regardless. He wiped his eyes and blew his nose, "I got something in my eye."

"Tch," answered Takumi, a teasing smile gracing his face. "Can't be helped, then."

And then, it was only too easy to be friends again, just like the old days. Even if Leo's dice kept giving him crappy results.

* * *

Sakura looked quizzically at her father from across the room, where he and Garon Nohr seemed to be speaking with _unusual_ interest in the topic. Her father, flanked by his two most trusted colleagues. Garon, mysteriously without his.

It made her irrationally nervous, and she knew it, because it wasn't like her father was about to fight Garon, or Xander, or (heaven forbid) _both_ of them for Ryoma's honor... even though he had threatened to, on multiple occasions. Still, when Yukimura approached her and suggested perhaps she go visit the stables, she managed to stutter out, "Um, d-dad's not going to try... to fight anyone, is he?"

"Most likely not," Yukimura assured her. "But just in case... perhaps it's best to check on Buttercup, hm? It's been some years since you last saw her, and she was just a foal at that time..."

Sakura hesitated, but ultimately decided she'd be more of a hindrance than an assistance if a fight really _did_ break out in the ballroom. "O-okay."

Silently slipping from the ballroom, thanks to the distraction caused by Subaki tripping (tripping? she'd have to check he was okay later) headfirst into the punchbowl, Sakura began her trek to the stables. Once out of the house, she pulled off her high heels and put on the flats in her handbag, pointedly ignoring the least-stealthy stealth bodyguard ever, Hana, who was very blatantly keeping an eye on her around the corner.

She was, quite unexpectedly, uninterrupted on her way over to the stables, but maybe it was because most people socializing outdoors went for the gardens or the courtyard, and not down this winding trail to the fringe of the property. The door opening with a creak, Sakura padded in quietly, lifting her hand and patting the nose of the nearest creature. Leo's gelding, Ixion, seemed to remember her, at least, though the jet-black mare that was Camilla's barely gave a snuffle in her direction.

"H-hey! Who's there!" a voice called out, startling Sakura. But then Elise burst out of a stall, wielding a riding switch with a trembling hand as if it were supposed to be threatening, visibly relieved when she saw who had truly interrupted her, "Oh, it's just you."

"S-sorry," Sakura breathed, quite frankly glad that it wasn't anyone dangerous. "Elise, what are you doing here?"

"Buttercup's going to have foals soon," Elise pushed the door open a little further, letting her peek inside. "She's due super super soon, and I was worried that she'd give birth without anyone to help her. Dad said I could take fifteen or twenty minutes to just pop in and make sure, but I don't wanna go... look at her! She's so fat she can barely stand."

"Oh," Sakura breathed, looking at the horse in question. "She's so... big. When I last saw her, she was this little teeny-tiny foal..."

"That's right," Elise winked. "She grew up big and strong and now she's having her own foals. Do you remember when we helped Siegwulf give birth to her?"

"I remember," Sakura giggled. "Xander was so shocked to find out that his horse was a girl! H-his face when Hinoka said that Pegasus got her pregnant... hah, I won't forget that for a long time."

"They kicked us out to get water when Siegwulf started giving birth for real, though," Elise smiled, remembering that day. "And we went out to the well, but we were super little and it took both of us to carry one bucket back here!"

"Hahah, I _remember_ ," Sakura buried her laughter in a delicate sleeve. "By the time we got back, Siegwulf was done and everything was a mess... I guess that's what the water was for."

"Yeah," answered Elise, her smile tinted with just a twinge of nostalgia. "I wish it could've been like that all the time... you and me, helping each other do things."

"Y-yeah," Sakura looked faintly ashamed. "Me too. But-- Ryoma, and Hinoka, and even Takumi..."

"I know," sighed Elise, vividly jealous. "It was the same with me, too, but I still wish you'd stayed friends with me in spite of it all. My big siblings are the _best_... but even if you didn't like them anymore, why did you stop liking _me_?"

"... I trust my siblings a lot," Sakura said after a moment. "Because I know they only have the best intentions. B-but... maybe, just this one time... they weren't right about you. I can't imagine _you_ doing anything super bad, at least. And... we were both very young, so probably neither of us understood the situation very well..."

Elise nodded solemnly, "Leo taught me like twenty bad words and said that I should only ever say them when talking about Ryoma. I guess he lied, though, because I still got in trouble and Xander put me in time-out for a whole two hours."

"Haha..." Sakura laughed weakly. "T-that's funny, because Takumi said... well, he was yelling something one day, and then he noticed I was listening, and so he said I should only ever say those words when talking about _Xander,_ because they were really bad words. Our brothers... really _are_ too much alike."

"Yep, they sure are," Elise giggled back. She lowered her voice into a secretive whisper, "Hey... we're grown-up now, and _nobody_ can put us in time-out. I'm going to go outside and yell the biggest, baddest word I know!"

"Oh my gosh, Elise, no," Sakura gasped, covering her mouth. "What if someone hears?"

"Like anyone's gonna hear us over the party inside," Elise winked playfully, nudging Sakura's shoulder as she pulled them both back into the summer's evening sun. "Come on! It'll be liberating."

"W-well..." Sakura hesitated, though... it did sound incredibly freeing.

"I'll start if it makes you feel better," Elise laughed. "Okay, here goes... DASTARD!! Hehe, now it's your turn."

"O-okay, then," Sakura took a deep breath, and yelled at a near-whisper. "H-heck!"

"Louder!" Elise countered, twirling around and shouting to the skies, "SSSSSSSSSSSUCKS!"

"Um, um, J-JERK!" Sakura squeaked a little bit louder.

"That's better! Just let it alllllll out!" Elise hollered, "TAAAAAAAAAAAAARNATION!"

"SCUUUUUUUUUUUM!" Sakura screamed back, laughing on the next intake of breath, "This is... this is actually really cathartic..."

"Like letting go of everything my siblings ever said about yours," Elise agreed, giggling back. "It feels good not having those words trapped in my head anymore..."

"LADY ELISE!" a voice cut them off, hurrying from around the corner, at the same time a much quicker woman rushed in from the other side, crying, "LADY SAKURA!"

It was almost comical how the two retainers shouted at near the same time, "Who dares taint your ears?"

"Hey," Effie scowled, looking quite intimidating in her all-black bodyguard uniform. "Excuse me, it was obviously _your_ Lady Sakura at fault here."

"No way! Lady Sakura has no faults," Hana grit her teeth, somehow managing the same level of fierceness in her rose-and-cream dress. Her hand began straying to the taser at her ankle, "It has to be _your_ Lady Elise!"

"U-uhm, excuse me?" Sakura attempted to intervene before someone got shot. When neither retainer looked at her, she summoned that cathartic energy and shouted, "EXCUSE ME!"

"What is it, Lady Sakura?" Hana answered, though she didn't look away from Effie.

"It was both of our faults, okay??" Elise burst in, her eye catching Effie's hand inch towards her own weapon. "Don't shoot anyone! We were just playing..."

"Hmph. Well, if you say so, Lady Elise," Effie slowly relaxed her stance, just the slightest shade wary of Hana.

"Hana, nobody needs to get shot today," Sakura pleaded, and her retainer sighed before taking back her more casual stance.

"Your wish is my command, Lady Sakura," Hana sighed, exasperated. "But if this... this Nohrian's tongue profanes your air again..."

"Um, actually," Sakura looked sheepish. "Half of those were mine."

"Only half?" Effie looked skeptical.

"The other half were mine, Effie, don't be mad at Sakura," Elise's eyes began to water. "And it was my idea, anyways... sorry."

"Well," Hana huffed, not to be outdone. "I think, as long as you never say those words ever again, nobody else ever has to hear of this."

"I-it's okay... I think I got all of it out of my system," Sakura smiled weakly.

"You better have," Effie frowned, checking Elise over to ensure that she hadn't been traumatized by having used even the mildest of curses. "Don't cry, Lady Elise. I'll keep this a secret for you."

"You will?" Elise's eyes dried up after just a couple more sniffles. "Oh, thank you so much, Effie! You're the greatest!"

"Right, well," Hana sighed, leading Sakura by the elbow. "Come on, we'd better get back to the party before the crown jewel of the Hoshido family is missed... that's you, by the way."

"I should be getting Nohr's own little princess back to the party, too," Effie grunted, eyeing Hana's hold on Sakura and deciding to outdo her by picking up Elise bridal-style to carry her back.

"Effie! You don't have to _carry_ me, I can walk!" Elise exclaimed.

"Don't worry, Lady Sakura!" and with a great deal of effort, Hana lifted Sakura into her arms as well. "You don't have to walk, either!"

"Hana! This really isn't necessary..." Sakura eeped.

The two heiresses looked at each other, and at once understood that their situations were the same. Their shared despair was only ended by their respective bodyguards deciding to race each other back to the party, and so they devoted the next several minutes to gripping their retainers around the shoulders and trying to have a conversation in startled shrieks and mirthful giggles.

 


	5. Chapter 5

Xander strode into the study where he'd agreed to meet up with Iago, a move he recognized as a terrible idea considering how much he detested his father's second in command. It had, indeed, been the plan to stand up this meeting altogether-- but even Iago was easier to face than Ryoma, especially since he'd accidentally called his ex-boyfriend _cute_ , even after all this time.

He breathed, facing the double-casemented windows, left open to air the house and catch the last tendrils of summer sun. Somehow, he'd thought it wouldn't be _this difficult_ to see Ryoma again; near eight years had passed since their last words to each other, and was time not supposed to heal all wounds? Then again, he thought, absence was supposed to make the heart fonder, as well. Perhaps, wondered with a wry grin, the two had canceled each other out.

But now, he sucked in another breath, squaring his shoulders. Now was not the time to think about how dashing Ryoma looked, even in a ridiculous burgundy suit paired with an excessively elaborate kimono-print tie. How those lips had felt on the night of their first kiss. Now, his mind was focused solely on business, and how he could help his father acquire Dawn Tech. Nothing else.

"Mr. Xander Nohr," Iago's voice sounded like slime even before they reached Xander's ears. "Apologies for my... tardiness. I had to ensure my gift arrived here safely."

"You are here now," Xander turned from the window to address the CFO. "What did you wish to speak to me about so urgently? I cannot say this is a... frequent occurrence."

"Well," Iago simpered. "I won't deny that I've been rather unwilling to assist you during your employment at Dusk Corp. But you must understand that I had very specific orders to test you to ensure you were suited to someday lead the company."

"Orders... from whom?" Xander narrowed his eyes, knowing that there were very, very few memos that passed his father's desk without first meeting his eyes.

"That brings me to why I called you here," Iago held out what looked like a very delicate photo album, barely holding itself together at the seams. "A gift to patch up any ill feelings, from myself to you. Do be careful. It's fragile."

"A book," Xander accepted the tome carefully. Upon squinting at the photograph on the cover, his eyes widened, "My... mother's?"

"Katerina Nohr and I were very good friends," Iago said offhandedly, picking a bit of imaginary lint from his clothes. "She knew how very, very stressful your father's job could be, and wanted to ensure that any heir understood that being a CEO and President required a level head in duress, a certain strength of character, and a ruthless business sense. Hardly dinner parties and daisies, as some may be led to believe."

"Yes," Xander frowned, recalling the time Iago had purposefully rerouted his order of construction materials to a Dusk Corp site literally halfway across the globe from their intended destination. "You've made it perfectly clear that the job is difficult. Especially when _your own people_ seem to want to work against you."

"So very sorry about that," Iago smiled like a cat about to eat a mouse. "But your mother asked me of it after her fourth round of chemotherapy, and she was practically on her deathbed by then. How could I say no?"

Xander bit his lip, turning the page to an old photograph of his mother and father, smiling, on their wedding day. Her hair was short, growing back from the first time she beat cancer. She'd been rediagnosed with it halfway through her pregnancy. His memory of Katerina was foggy-- almost nonexistent, save for a photograph of a waiflike woman in a hospital bed, almost more tubes and blankets than flesh and bone, a small baby that he presumed was himself in her arms, and Father, watching them both, with this sort of bittersweet sadness in his smile.

That photograph, he'd only seen once or twice, as it sat on the dresser in Father's bedroom, far out of the way of the rest of the house. But certainly, it was the same woman in the image before him, and there were even older pictures of her-- ones with an outdated haircut in college, ones from her first day of work as a malt-shop waitress, even a scant few black and whites from her childhood.

If there was to be any proof of Iago and Katerina's friendship, he thought, this would have to be it. He wondered, briefly, if this had been entrusted to Iago to someday reach his hands. And so, for the sake of a mother who died before Xander truly met her, "Of course. Thank you, Iago, for the album and your consideration."

"She wished many things for you, young Xander," Iago narrowed his eyes when Xander was too absorbed in perusing the book's contents to see. And then, the finishing touch, "My friendship and guidance among them. I do so ever hope I've lived up to her wishes thus far, and pray I can continue to do so."

"You've lived up to them well enough so far," Xander shook his head, secretly thinking that perhaps Iago had lived up to the testing portion a bit _too_ well. "I see no reason you would stop."

"As you wish," Iago bowed, but only to conceal his predatory smile. "Now... about ensuring that Dawn Tech _unfailingly_ submits to our demands--"

Whatever Iago was about to suggest was cut off by a trio of what seemed to be Hoshido's security guards dropping in from the ventilation to seize the corrupt adviser, physically cuffing his arms back.

"Halt!" Xander exclaimed, quite caught off-guard. "What do you think you're doing? This is a highly respected member of Dusk Corp!"

"It's clear that those Hoshidan scum will resort to anything to get their way," Iago spat. Even though he'd been just about ready to suggest the same thing, "Even going as far as kidnapping a Dusk Corp official to gain negotiation leverage!"

"That'll be enough out of you, Iago," and then Garon himself swept into the room, dropping Hans (who had been restrained hogtie-style) against the floor. The three Hoshidan guards looked at one another, nodded, and began cuffing Iago's feet to the nearby furniture as well.

"F-father!" Xander looked shocked by Garon's appearance, made ever the worse by how he'd hogtied his own head of security. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Iago was fool enough to believe that I had no eyes nor ears _in my own house_. Or that all of the ones I had were loyal to his sidekick here," for emphasis, Garon nudged Hans with his foot. "I have it from a reliable source that he was involved in a plot to assassinate your stepmother Arete. The police will be arriving momentarily. I expect Sumeragi is leading them here now-- and I expect you will _thank him_ for loaning us his security, since ours is apparently full of rats."

"You would be dead a thousand times over if not for those rats!" Iago spat, the last words before one of the Hoshido bodyguards gagged him. "This company will _fall_ without me!"

"Yes, father," Xander tried desperately to wrap his head around the situation. "Then... was it all a lie? Iago and... my mother's friendship?"

"Iago and _your mother_?" the very question seemed to take Garon off-guard. "As far as I'm aware, they met perhaps twice. Katerina loathed business arrangements. If she hadn't known how much it meant to me, I'm certain she'd have asked me to dissolve the company altogether."

"But... this album," Xander looked absolutely stricken. All of this... the tidbits of the life of a mother he did not yet know, were they too forged?

"Where did you get that?" Garon looked at the book, completely perplexed. "I haven't seen that album in over twenty years... I thought it lost."

"Well," Xander scowled, turning a venomous glare on the CFO. "I'm sure Iago can explain exactly how he found it."

"Yes, yes," Garon seemed to mull something over for a second, and then, "In case I was in any way unclear about it... Iago, Hans, your employment is officially terminated."

"Krakenburg Police," a tall, bald man muscled his way into the room. "These the perpetrators you described on the phone?"

"Yes," answered Garon quite stonily. "They are subdued, as you requested."

"A little overkill," remarked his partner, who seemed to have all the hair in the world by comparison. "But effective. I like it."

"There were a handful of others hired by the head of security present, though they seemed to have no conscious malignant intent," Sumeragi added from behind the door. "Kaze, Saizo, Kagero, well done."

The three bodyguards nodded, and just before they exited, Kagero added, "We are grateful for the opportunity to serve."

Recalling his father's advice, Xander added, "Thank you."

"Do not mention it," Sumeragi chuckled. "I expect that Saizo, at least, was excited to test his capabilities, and it was of no consequence +to me to spare them for a moment."

Xander nodded solemnly, "I had no idea... the extent of Iago's treachery. I hope it does not mar your visit here with any unnecessary unpleasantness."

"Are you kidding?" Sumeragi laughed, a deep sound that resonated from his belly. "Garon and I got to wrestle the head of security and six of his best men to the floor! I haven't had this much fun in ages!"

"I'm... glad to hear that?" Xander hesitated, wondering whether or not the guards in question were armed, and... well, neither of them looked injured, at least. He supposed he should count his blessings.

"We're done here," announced the policeman with hair, even as his partner hauled both Iago and Hans out to the police car. It was probably very much against police protocol, but he'd rapidly learned to... abbreviate... standard procedures in order to deal with the uptowners. Especially ones that were capable of subduing seven armed men without gaining so much as a scratch.

"Well," began Sumeragi pleasantly. "It seems we managed to get wrapped up just in time for dinner."

"You _do_ always have excellent timing," replied Garon, and then they both laughed, terrifyingly friendly for two men who had almost threatened to duel each other less than three hours ago.

"I will excuse myself, then," Xander nodded, hiding his complete confusion in a manner that he thought was fairly convincing. There was a great deal he still had to sort out... and that was even before he took _Ryoma_ into account.

* * *

"Kam? Kamui, are you here?" Cor patrolled the halls upstairs in his home, taking wide strides to cover more area. He had that niggling feeling that his sister had _something_ to do with father tackling his own head of security in the middle of the ballroom, and she was mysteriously MIA. He poked his head in through every door in the hallway, "KAAAAM! Come out, it's time for dinner!"

There was a resonant crashing noise from father's study, then and Cor hurriedly shoved the door closed to rush over to that one. He found Kam there, on the floor, hopelessly tangled with a broad sheet of metal and like three of father's fur coats.

"Hey!" Kamui flailed, trying to untangle herself from the mess. "A little help here?"

"What happened to you?" Cor tisked, shaking his head before lifting the coats in question, shoving them back into the wardrobe from whence they came. "Is that... a shield?"

"Bulletproof," confirmed Kam, unlatching the window and taking a deep breath of air that didn't reek of mothballs. "Did dad manage to get rid of Hans and Iago?"

"Um, Iago?" Cor looked a little surprised. "I saw him and Sumeragi take down Hans in the ballroom, but I didn't know Iago was involved."

"Iago's the ringleader of this whole mess," Kam scowled, leaning against the windowsill. "I happened to pass by them as they were throwing some serious shade at Xander."

"Can you not use the words ' _serious shade_?'" Cor tried not to laugh-- this was a serious conversation. "I keep thinking of it like a Pokemon thing. 'Gastly used Serious Shade," or something like that."

"Fine, fine," Kam rolled her eyes, and when she didn't even giggle back, Cor knew that the situation had to be truly grave. "I thought father might like to know that Iago was badmouthing Xander, and saying stuff like he wanted to take over the corporation himself... but, Cor, he said. Hans volunteered to _get rid_ of Xander."

"Get rid of? As in, make father fire him, or," Cor hesitated. "The other kind of _getting rid_ _of_?"

"I think you know exactly the kind of _getting rid of_ I'm talking about," Kam frowned.

"That's horrible!" Cor exclaimed. "Wasn't he just leaving to meet up with Iago when we last saw him? We have to intervene before..."

"Iago didn't take him up on the offer, thank Andraste," Kam cut across, thanking the first vaguely deific figure that came to her mind. "But... Cor, he said that they got rid of _Mama Arete._ "

"Oh gods, oh _gods_ ," Cor tried to process that. "That's... awful."

"It is," answered Kam, silent for a moment. Then, "We should go make sure Xander's okay."

"Yeah," agreed Cor. "Where do you think he is?"

"Well, there's only one place Xander goes when he needs to _really_ get away," Kan answered with a thoughtful solemnity.

"The roof?" Cor met her eyes.

Kam nodded, "The roof."

The duo tore down the hall, nearly crashing into Xander as he was about to turn into the staircase.

"Big brother!" Cor cried, his shoes skidding on the carpet.

"Are you okay?" Kam cut across. "Iago didn't do anything to you, did he?"

"Corrin, Kamui..." Xander looked taken aback. "I am fine. Perhaps that is a question I should be asking _you_ instead."

"What? No, we're fine," Kam shook her head. "Neither Iago nor Hans has so much as _spoken_ to us tonight."

"Except for Kam spying on _and filming_ their conversation," Cor shook his head reproachingly.

"Then I presume you were the eyes and ears father was referring to," Xander narrowed his eyes with that particular affectionate sternness of his. "I... appreciate that you thought to offer some proof, but really Kam, the next time you're in such a dangerous situation, please forget the camera."

"It's not like father would've believed me otherwise. He doesn't take baseless accusations," Kam frowned.

"We'd still have Hans and Iago in our house right now, and they'd have so many chances to do worse things," Cor relented.

"I am aware, but I was capable of handling Iago," Xander pulled his younger sister in for a hug. "I would be incapable of handling your being hurt."

"Hey, it all ended well," Kam grinned, hugging back. "I'm not hurt, and father said he'd handle Hans and Iago."

"The police just came by to take them in for questioning," Xander smiled wryly. "Father went downstairs to settle in for dinner, as if he hadn't just fought Hans and his strongest men with only Sumeragi's help."

"That's so like him," Cor chuckled. "Aren't you coming down, too?"

"Perhaps later," Xander nodded, ruffling two separate heads of hair. "You go on first. I don't know what I did to earn such caring siblings... but whatever it was, I am grateful for it."

"All right, that's enough, you big sap," Kam laughed, trying to bring her hair back under control.

They bade Xander a brief farewell before heading down the hall, back to the primary staircase.

"Hey, Kam, maybe we should swing by our room," Cor gestured vaguely to her feet. "You're not wearing any shoes."

"Oh, I lost the other one. Well, oops!" Kam sighed. "And I thought I'd be able to spend _one evening_ without losing my shoes if I wore flats."

"When did you lose the first one?" Cor was about to ask, only to be cut off by a very flustered Ryoma cutting them off at the stairs, almost as red as his burgundy suit and carrying a dinner tray full of something or other.

"My apologies, Kamui," he addressed the sister first, and then turned. "Corrin. Have you seen Xander anywhere?"

"Um," Kam began. Simultaneously, the twins jerked their thumbs in the hall that they'd just come from.

"Staircase on the left," Cor supplied helpfully.

"Yes. I, um," Ryoma coughed awkwardly. Just before rushing off, "Thank you."

"What was that all about?" Kam shook her head, resuming their trek to their room.

"I think I was right," Cor fell into step beside her. "He and Xander... I think they'll find their own words for each other."

 


	6. Chapter 6

Ryoma had spent what was perhaps an inordinate amount of time searching for Xander in this godforsaken maze of a house. And, perhaps, still yet a longer time pondering the reasoning behind his search. It was too late to back out now, however, as he came across the Nohrian heir within the rooftop terrace, merely watching the visitors in the back gardens slowly filter inside for dinner.

"You aren't going to the dining room," he said out loud, his steps heavy enough to alert Xander to his presence long before he ever spoke.

"Aren't you?" and a muscle in Xander's jaw clenched, setting his jaw firmly.

"Not without answers," Ryoma insisted, equally obstinate.

"You haven't asked me any questions yet," Xander noted, his brow furrowing into that troubled wrinkle that made him look at least six years older. Ryoma would be lying if he said he didn't want to smooth away that troubled expression with his thumb.

"What is," he began instead, offering Xander a full tray, hijacked from a passing server downstairs. "What is this?"

Xander cast a look down at its contents, feeling an odd ache in his chest that had to be stuffed into the deepest recesses of his heart before he could answer calmly, "I was under the impression you knew what lobster tempura was, even when served as a sushi roll."

"Stop being difficult. What is this _doing here_?" Ryoma clarified, trying (and failing) to look not-miserably-pained by the frigid tone of Xander's voice.

"Why do you feel the need to interrogate me on it? I was under the impression that you _enjoyed_ lobster tempura," Xander frowned, directing his gaze as far off into the distance as it could go without looking like he was actively trying to avoid looking Ryoma in the eye.

"I... find that I can no longer stomach it," Ryoma admitted, equally too ashamed to look the man he once called 'lover' in the eye, gazing over dusk's horizon.

"I see," answered Xander, a sudden rush of irrational anger at the thought that _Ryoma no longer liked lobster tempura_. He tried to avoid letting the emotion affect his tone of voice as he replied, "If you merely wished to inform me of your hatred for me, I will excuse myself now. I am... thoroughly aware of your feelings. You _shouted_ them at me the last time we spoke."

"No," Ryoma laid a hand on Xander's wrist to prevent him from leaving. He explained, "You misunderstand me. It... saddens me too much to eat tempura."

" _Does_ it?" Xander drew his eyebrows together even further. He snatched his wrist away, "So then it didn't work out with Scarlet?"

"... excuse me?" Ryoma looked equal parts offended and confused.

"Then you still deny having cheated on me with a woman named Scarlet," Xander answered, already beginning to leave.

He was stopped in his tracks as Ryoma snagged his wrist once more, and when Xander didn't tear it away again, "I think there's been a misunderstanding. I admit to having been friends with a woman named Scarlet, yes. Merely friends. How could you think I would be with any other but you, even when you'd ignored me for days on end?"

"Not by choice," Xander's eyes grew only more intense. "You were the one who kept insisting that I come out to father, lest I risk spending another evening in Charlotte's company. I _told_ you there would be consequences. I was grounded-- not that it was worth anything, since I found that my boyfriend had run off with someone else once I re-entered the real world."

"You... came out to your father for me?" the expression of surprise that flitted across Ryoma's face was a sight to behold.

"... you didn't know," Xander replied slowly. It was not a question.

"I... thought perhaps you'd been kidnapped. Or that you no longer wished to speak to me, because I was excessively clingy and jealous," Ryoma admitted, running a hand through his overgelled hair. "And on Monday, rumors emerged that you'd eloped with the heiress of a mining company. The photographs... looked very realistic."

"You panicked," Xander snorted, just because that was such a _Ryoma_ mistake.

"I went to Scarlet's house to eat ice cream and watch romantic comedies," Ryoma looked embarrassed by this, turning lobster-red, and that was when Xander knew he had to be telling the truth. If he'd been making it up, he would have at least tried to make himself sound less pathetic. "Because I had been advised that was what one did when attempting to deal with a break-up, and she had the largest collection I knew of. It took several days to watch every film she owned."

"That. Would certainly explain the rumors about your leaving a home in that district near 4 AM," answered Xander, the last knot in his brow unraveling.

"I would have believed the same thing had I been in your place," Ryoma shook his head, realizing how ridiculous they'd both been, now that he could see the whole picture.

"Ryoma," Xander began after a moment, slipping his wrist from a slack grip. "I think we've _both_ been fools. Perhaps if we'd paused in accusing each other long enough to explain ourselves..."

"We were teenagers, and foolish," Ryoma asserted, still trying to contain the enormous loss of _if I were better at listening, better at understanding, we could have spent so much more time together_. He took a deep breath and leaned against the railing, his hand feeling strangely bereft without Xander's in it. "Do you remember our first date?"

"I do," and Xander leaned against the railing beside him, not close enough to touch but close enough to feel the slightest twinge of his body heat. A comfort in the coolness of dusk. "We were sixteen, and you'd just gotten your driver's license. You wore that ridiculous lobster suit and walked into my front yard one Saturday, with that cardboard sign that said 'Sushi?' I couldn't read it until I left the house, by the way. I thought you were trying to picket something in our front yard as a joke; perhaps Camilla's crabby moods."

"It... probably was not large enough for a house three stories tall," Ryoma agreed. "I took you to that sushi place in town, because it was the only one around that served anything close to traditional Japanese. You were terrible at using chopsticks... it was cute."

"It was _embarrassing_ ," corrected Xander. With a small chuckle, "I suppose I should just be grateful you didn't wear the lobster suit into the restaurant."

"Remember, though, that it isn't meant to be eaten with chopsticks to start with," and here, Ryoma lifted a piece of the tray that still remained between his thumb and forefinger, held it to Xander's lips like he had long ago. "Humor me."

"Very well," answered Xander, parting his lips and accepting the roll with his tongue, the tempura, though no longer hot, still crunching as he chewed, swallowed. He was full aware that recreating the first date was the oldest get-back-together trick in the book-- not like he would ever say it, but he'd watched his own share of romcoms post-breakup-- but still, he couldn't quite bring himself to care. Maybe he wanted it, too. "I asked you what this was. And if you liked it."

"I said it was lobster tempura, and that it was my favorite," Ryoma's fingers lingered too-long on Xander's lips, withdrawing reluctantly. "You very politely thanked me for introducing it to you."

"I remember something... quite different," Xander disagreed, grasping Ryoma's hesitant wrist and pulling him in for a very thorough kiss indeed, noses bumping awkwardly for just a second before they fell into the old pattern, like it was burned into muscle memory.

They kissed for a moment, there, reacquainting themselves with each other's lips, mouths, heat, before at last it was Ryoma who broke them apart, breathing heavily, "I don't recall the tongue."

"Are you still playing this game, Ryoma?" Xander raised his eyebrows dubiously.

"There was never a game, Xander," was the solemn reply. "You were... meant to be endgame for me. And I... cannot forget that easily."

"A notion that beggars belief, given that we were still in high school," Xander snorted.

"I... still have the ring," Ryoma admitted.

"You're serious," Xander tried to assess this man, the very same he'd loved throughout his youth and hated bitterly for the loss of that same love. "It isn't easy... to forget seven years of attempting to forget."

"Forgotten poorly, if I judge your actions correctly," Ryoma picked up another piece of the roll, bit, chewed. "Though I don't have much room for critique."

"And what do you suppose I would say, if you requested that we get back together?" Xander tisked bitterly. "If you're such an _excellent_ judge of my behavior."

"Who's the one playing games now, Xander?" Ryoma narrowed his eyes. "Need I remind you that it was _you_ who found it necessary to kiss _me_?"

"We're already arguing again," Xander leveled a stern gaze in Ryoma's direction. "You're more the fool than ever if you think getting back together would end differently than the first time."

"Is that how you truly feel?" Ryoma met his gaze unrelentingly.

Xander hesitated only a few seconds, "Yes."

"Very well. I will... respect your wishes," Ryoma drew himself up, incredible pain concealed only by a thin, ice-cold expression. "If you would grant me one last request?"

Xander broke their gaze, unable to endure the poignant sharpness of Ryoma's injury, "As you like."

"Just take this," Ryoma shoved something into his hands, turning towards the stairs with his coattails swooshing behind him. "I look terrible in silver jewelry anyways."

Xander looked at the wide-banded ring that sat in his palm, silver and set with a tiny mosaic pattern, triangles and starbursts in deep blues and purples. Not something found in a typical jewelry shop, but something that had to have been commissioned for a specific purpose. It was so very different from Ryoma's usual understated pieces in gold that it left no doubt in his mind that he had been the ring's intended recipient all along.

His feet moved before he could even really register that they were moving, "Ryoma, wait."

"I have nothing more to discuss," Ryoma turned, his eyebrows drawn together. He scowled, "Not with a man who thinks I came here on a fool's errand."

"It _would_ be foolish to merely pick up where we left off, with so much left unsaid," Xander ducked around him, blocking his exit from the stairs. "But... I may have misjudged the extent of your feelings."

"No, you were right. It was _ridiculous_ to think we could go back to the way we were before," Ryoma attempted to predict Xander's next movement, trying to see where he would move next, trying to escape by dodging left. "Though it was cruel of you to kiss me, knowing that."

Xander caught him on his right, trapping him in something that was half a hug and half a headlock, "Listen! There is no reason, now that the air's been cleared... at least from our most recent argument... to not be friends again. And it won't be the same, I know... but even friends do sometimes turn to lovers."

"And lovers to foes," frowned Ryoma. But then, as his struggle for freedom weakened, "... and, I suppose, foes back to friends."

"Yes," Xander breathed, quite frankly relieved that Ryoma's writhing wasn't about to send them careening down a flight of stairs, merely holding him in a hug. "Friends."

"Friends," agreed Ryoma, even as he looked down at the arms wrapped around his middle, laid his own hand over the one wearing a new ring.

* * *

  **Omake: After Dinner**

* * *

 "O-okay, so this is the finalized merger," hiccuped Sumeragi, less than sober, holding up a napkin that had been scrawled upon with an exceedingly fancy fountain pen.

"It's GREAT," hollered Garon, stabbing his knife into the kitchen table hard enough to embed it there, possibly less sober than even Sumeragi.

"Does it involve crushing businesses?" Reina, Sumeragi's CFO, shouted from across the room.

"Oooh, let me help!" Peri lolled over the table, landing face-first in a dish of mashed potatoes.

"No, not that. Laslow, COME OVER HERE," Garon laughed, pulling his marketing head closer by the tie.

"Yessir?" Laslow looked equally confused and terrified.

"We need you to find EVERY ELVIS IMPERSONATOR that can do marriages in this town." Sumeragi laughed, slapping him on the back. "We're g-going to have a big, fat... haha, wedding!"

"A big, fat, NOHRSHIDAN wedding," giggled Mikoto from his side, her ribs hurting from mirth.

"This merger," Garon stabbed the inky napkin with his index finger. "Is a legally binding document promising our firstborn sons to one another, to inherit the companies as ONE ENTITY."

"I... really don't think this is wise, father," Sakura, who hadn't accepted any drinks according to Hinoka's instruction, was fortunately still sober. "Maybe you should, um, get some fresh air? And a glass of water?"

"What? Sakura, don't you want to be _sisters_?" Elise, teary-eyed, grasped her hands.

"W-well, of course I do!" Sakura protested. "But maybe when our dads aren't completely _sloshed_?"

"Come on, we're already dressed for it," grinned Orochi, coming up behind Mikoto to gesture to her elegant eveningwear. "I'mma go help Lazzy over here f-find those Elvis impersonators."

"I literally can't believe this all worked out," Kam high-fived her brother over her nth glass of "seltzer."

"Me neither," Cor chuckled back, looking at the disaster that was both families, combined, trying to plan a wedding while too drunk to even write straight. In a rare fit of excitability, he hollered, "Woooo!"

Two figures, meanwhile, stealthily crept in the atrium above the main dining hall, keeping three careful eyes on the events taking place. They were as stealthy as a half-naked LARPer and his hoodie-wearing companion could be at a formal dinner function, at least.

"Niles," Odin pulled on his friend's sleeve as they watched their plan unfurl from the balcony. "The potion of social ease and compatriotism you placed in the beverages worked! This was your best idea yet."

"Oh, that wasn't a potion," Niles chuckled, still looking inordinately proud of himself. "I just spiked every liquid I could find with vodka."

**Author's Note:**

> Elise is a freshman in a college where Kamui and Corrin are seniors. Leo, despite being younger than Kamui and Corrin, is in the first year of his Masters' Degree program because he skipped the third grade. Camilla is out of school, currently a PR representative, and Xander's preparing to take over the family business.
> 
> A minor mention-- _Cherche et Fils_ is a Ylissean design brand that can be translated to "Cherche and Son" (where "fils" is singular for son) or "Cherche and Threads" (where "fils" is plural for "le fil," a strand of thread).


End file.
